A Science Strange and Lovely
by Indie Lolita
Summary: One's memory is a tricky thing. It can be manipulated and altered very easily. Natalie Parker is having dreams, dreams of ice and of a man who's voice could shake mountains. When she boards the Enterprise to help find terrorist John Harrison, she will come face to face with her so-called "dreams" and a life she never knew existed. Khan/OC AU
1. Affirmative

A Science Strange and Lovely

A/N: I'm not a trekker, so I apologize for any lack of knowledge on the fandom. I just wanted to experiment after seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness. Enjoy!

"It begins like this: with a slow blink and shallow breath, I'm asleep. Then, after a few brief moments of warm stillness, the cold seeps through. My fingers turn numb and frost forms on the tip of my nose, a blue glow

pressing against my closed eyelids. A voice, sounding garbled as if underwater, causes the ice above my face to vibrate. It says someone's name...over and over again. I feel my lips try to part, my eyelashes try to flutter, but

nothing comes. The walls around my body close in, the metal pressing against my bare arms and against the pads of my feet. Claustrophobia tickles at the corners of my mind and my heart accelerates. The blood pounds in

my ears._ Thump Thump_ goes my heart..._thump thump...thump._

That's when it ends and I wake up. Every night, the same dream. Most nights I don't want to go to sleep because of it".

Natalie Parker sat across from her therapist, her fingers fiddling with a loose thread of her green silk dress as she explained her night terrors. She read aloud from the slim red moleskin journal in her trembling hands. When

finished, she glanced up and met the concerned eyes of Dr. Bell. The older woman took a few notes on her tablet before addressing her patient.

"Ms. Parker," she started slowly as if speaking to a child, "have you been feeling lonely or particularly stressed lately?"

Natalie frowned, her eyebrows knitting, "This isn't an isolation complex, Doctor, I have three best friends and a loving family. I remember telling you that during my first appointment."

"I know, Ms. Parker," clucked, adjusting her enormous horn-rimmed glasses, "no need for defensive behavior. I'm simply trying to get to the root of your problem. In your dreams, do you see anyone past the ice?"

Natalie pressed her full lips together to form a thin boundary line before looking at Dr. Bell directly.

"There is someone..." she began slowly, pushing a few wild curls past her eyes,"a man...just a blurry form outside the ice really. He's the one who's calling out to someone, possibly me...he has such a deep voice. Strong

enough to shatter glass and take down emperors."

Dr. Bell put down her tablet and for a brief moment, her milky blue eyes were tinged with something like fear.

"That will be all for today Ms. Parker," she concluded with a tight smile, "I will send a prescription of a mild sleep aid to your address tomorrow. If matters get worse, you know where to call."

With that, Natalie grabbed her small gold satchel and gave her therapist a small nod. On her way past the glass coffee table, she got a glimpse of Dr. Bell's tablet. With a chill not unlike those in her dreams, she noticed there

were only two words on the glowing screen: _she remembers. _

* * *

__As soon as the girl had left in a flurry of curls and pale green silk, Dr. Florence Bell grabbed her mobile. She spoke into its speaker with a hushed urgency, "Captain Parker, it's Dr. Bell, I just saw your daughter. She's having

dreams...about her past, Captain...I giving her another set of pills but I'm not sure they'll be strong enough this time."

The other line was silent, a terse buzz filling the room, until a gruff voice responded: "Then make them stronger. At any cost, she cannot remember. Physical effects might show soon, she'll be ripping doors off hinges. I want

her medication increased. Do you hear me, Doctor?"

"Affirmative, Captain.


	2. There Are No Miracles

Chapter Two: There are No Miracles

A/N: Thank you for all reviews, follows, and favorites! Hope you enjoy this latest installment.

The cool autumn sunlight washed into the young woman's bedroom, a slight wind playing with the corners of her sheets and with the curls across her forehead. Her pale eyelashes fluttered as she clutched her blankets to her chest and rolled onto her side.

Natalie wasn't a graceful sleeper; she moved ceaselessly, mumbled incoherently, and-as she had been informed to her dismay- even snored lightly. Drifting through a hazy slumber, she could faintly register the sharp beeps of an alarm.

The swirls of fog in her head clearing rapidly, Natalie shot up in her bed, putting a hand to her head. That had been the deepest sleep she'd had in months- no ice, no box, no strange voices. Breathing a sigh as she pushed her sheets past her chest, Natalie couldn't remember feeling this tranquil first thing in the morning. Glancing at the small glass bottle of pills on her dresser, her lips quirked into a smile.

"Thank you, Dr. Bell," she drawled, sliding out of bed and pulling her lilac robe over her shoulders. The small holographic clock projected by her mobile read 8:05 AM.

"Damn," Natalie swore catching a glimpse of the flickering numbers out of the corner of her eye. She stumbled to her closet, blankets wrapped around her bare feet, the neckline of her night dress damp with sweat. She tore through the silver hangers of her wardrobe like a barbarian until she pulled out a fresh uniform, slipping the steel grey dress over her head and pulling the tight material over her unforgiving hips.

"What is it with this generation and skin-tight clothing?" she muttered, yanking spotless white leggings over her knees. Natalie Parker had the most unfortunate habit of talking to herself, quite a disadvantage in the dating field. She continued to mumble curses and complains as she pulled her wild Botticelli ringlets into a frizzled bun at the nape of her neck.

"Why did I want to be a nurse?" she groaned, hairpins between her lips, "of all things...". Glancing into the round mirror above her nightstand, she sighed. Baby-face Parker is what they called her down at the hospital, and it was hard to be taken seriously as a practicing nurse when you had the face of an adolescent volunteer. Lifting her chin and scowling at her reflection, Natalie attempted to make the fiercest face she could.

Shaking her head with a soft laugh she realized how ridiculous it all was. With her boots on her feet and a black satchel strapped across her chest, she hurried out of her flat without so much as a piece of buttered toast for breakfast.

* * *

Pushing past the retinal scanner, Natalie pressed her I.D. onto the glass wall of the hospital, tapping her finger on the shiny surface to get the guard's attention. A barrel-chested security officer approached the door warily, his bushy eyebrows knitting at the sight of the flustered young nurse.

"Nurse Parker, ICU," she tiredly affirmed through the glass, but the burly guard simply stared at her with folded arms, "For God's sake, let me in Jago!"

The glass slid past with a slight hum, allowing the nurse to rush through hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Must we go through this every time?" she questioned with a roll of her eyes. Jago simply chuckled deeply and slapped a bear-like paw onto her shoulder.

"The retinal scanner is there for a reason, Tascha," he teased, his calming baritone easing the lines of worry on her face if only for a moment.

"You know I hate those things, J," she called over her shoulder, breaking into a jog, "also, I'm late for the operation. A whole three minutes to be certain. Let's not make it four!"

When she had arrived at the ICU, she saw Dr. Northrop's snowy white head, not going into the operation labs, but bent over one of the beds. He was surrounded by a throng of whispering nurses and assisting doctors. Natalie, her eyes narrowed in confusion, made her way through the crowd until she came to her doctor's side. The man's gaze, normally even and cool, was widened at the sight before his eyes. Natalie gasped at what she saw: there, sitting upright in her bed was little Lucille Harewood, her cheeks a healthy bronze and her eyes lively. Just yesterday, the child had been near-death and completely immobilized.

"It's a miracle," she breathed, placing a hand on the bed's railing to steady herself, "Dr. Northrop what happened?"

He ran a hand over his face, his grey eyes gleaming, "I don't know, Nurse Parker, for once, I just don't know...". Miracles didn't happen at this hospital. Doctors worked wonders and technology was advancing daily, but miracles simply did not occur in a place like this. Knowing this, Natalie wasn't able to partake in the joy of her co-workers or of Lucille's family. Something wasn't right. Shaking her head, she pushed past the awed crowd and stepped past the billowing curtains onto the balcony.

The fresh air filled her lungs, the smell of antiseptic fading into the scent of earth and pine. But before she could breath a sigh of relief, Natalie noticed she was not alone. There, pressed firmly against the railing of the balcony, was a hooded figure. His stance was upright and rigid, feet planted firmly and fists formed on either side of his long torso.

"'Scuse me, sir," Natalie called, taking one tentative step closer, "can I help you?" The figure turned its head to the left, so that only the outline of his profile could be seen: a strong nose and angular chin protruded from the cloak.

"The time, if you will," he called- his voice tinged with impatience and a low hiss. It was his voice which made the young nurse take one step back, stumbling against the wood of the hospital's walls. It was entirely unnerving, Natalie thought, but she could not remember why.

"N-nine o' eight, sir," she sputtered, pressing her palms against her dress and biting her lower lip. For some reason, she felt the unreasonable urge to start running and never stop. The man nodded, one fist unclenching. He turned on his heel sharply, an almost militaristic movement, and with a strong gait proceeded to cross the balcony and move towards the steps.

"Wait," Natalie called before she could process what she was saying, "I didn't catch your name." The man kept walking at his unusually brisk pace, but his voice carried over his shoulder.

"That's because I did not give it, woman."

Natalie scoffed, trotting behind the stranger, her boots clacking against the tiles, "I know my gender, sir, but I prefer to be called Nurse Parker- daughter of Captain Orion Parker".

The man stopped, and for a second, Natalie believed that her shameless name-dropping had silenced his impertinent tongue.

"Captain Parker of Section 31?" he questioned, his deep rumble shaking the nurse to her core. Natalie pushed the hair back from her eyes and lifted her chin.

"Why, yes," she affirmed proudly. Now let's see who's blushing, she thought, a smug smile slipping over her lips.

"Then say your prayers nurse," the figure responded cryptically before leaping over the balcony's edge. Natalie had no time to process what he had said or done, for before she could blink, a loud explosion blasted from the core of the city.

From the general direction of Section 31 headquarters.


	3. Irrelevant to Our Mission

A Science Strange and Lovely

Chapter 3: Irrelevant to Our Mission

A/N: Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows! Things are moving a bit quickly in this next chapter, but I hope you enjoy!

Natalie didn't panic as she fled from the Royal Children's Hospital, feet almost mechanically carrying her through the maze of London's sleek skyscrapers. She didn't cry as she felt the ash from the explosion on her tongue or as the elbows of frenzied onlookers dug into her sides. She didn't scream when she saw the charred heap that was Section 31 Headquarters, a skeleton of cinders and flame framed by the petrified multitude of city-dwellers. However, she did all three when she saw a body being pulled from under a large steel beam several yards away from the site of the explosion.

The body was set apart from others by its head of copper hair and high-collared black uniform. A primal scream tore through her throat only to be swallowed by the din of her surroundings. She shoved anyone in her path aside, her tiny form shooting like a bullet through the masses. Trying desperately to follow the two medics that carried her father's limp body, she stood on the balls of her feet in order to see above the crowd. Finally, it came into her field of vision: the silver hover-gurney levitating above a pile of soot and the man that lay upon it.

"Stop!" she cried before the medics brought him into their shuttle. She ran up to the gurney and with red-rimmed eyes, pressed a hand to her father's bleeding cheek. The lines on either side of his mouth seemed so much deeper now. His closed eyes were swollen and there was a tear through his lower lip. His right leg was bent at an impossible angle.

"Do you know this man?" a dour-faced paramedic questioned.

"My...father," Natalie gasped, her tongue refusing to form a full sentence, "Captain Orion Parker." Her knuckles turned white as she grasped the side of the gurney, eyes never leaving her father's battered face.

"Come with us," the medic ordered, pulling the gurney into the shuttle and offering Natalie one gloved hand. She placed her pale palm in his and with shaking legs stepped into the shuttle wondering if this would be the last trip she'd ever make at her father's side. The seat was cold and the ride silent, but Natalie's mind was screaming, desperately attempting to make sense of what had happened that morning. Her fingers ran through her hair, elbows panted on her knees. She couldn't look at her father again, not here, not like this. She tried to remember every thing that she did before the explosion; memories like photographs in a slideshow through her mind: sunlight behind her eyelids, pulling on her tight uniform, her flushed round face in the mirror, Jago's caterpillar eyebrows, Lucille's sparkling almond eyes, a hooded figure leaping from the balcony that was several stories high. Wait. Natalie's breath caught in her throat as she remembered their exchange.

_"Captain Parker of Section 31?" "Why, yes" "Then say your prayers nurse." _

A hooded man with cryptic message that disappears right before an explosion. That didn't look good, Natalie thought, not good at all.

The shuttle stopped at St. Elijah's where Natalie had trained before going to Royal Children's. A lanky hawk-nosed medic quickly grabbed gurney and pushed it out of the shuttle. Natalie followed, jumping outside into the cool October air. Before the medic could rush her father past the hospital's doors, Natalie grabbed his thin arm. He looked back at her with a sneer, peering down at her over his large nose.

"Promise me he'll be taken care of," she ordered, her nails digging into the man's coat. At that moment, despite her youthful appearance and small stature, Natalie Parker appeared as a force to be reckoned with.

"I can't say that he'll make it, Ms. Parker. His lungs are nearly-"

"Promise me!" she hissed, her eyes moist but narrowed. The medic could only nod before wriggling out of the young woman's grasp and rushing into the hospital's doors with her dying father.

Natalie sank to the ground as the people milled around her, all about their daily comute. She held her head in her hands, tears leaving stains on the pavement as she wept. The decision to leave her father's side was a difficult one to make, but Natalie had made it for a reason. There was another place she had to be. Standing on feeble legs, she straightened her back and wiped a hand over her wet face. Taking a deep breath, she began to run-to the only place she could find help- to the only place she could warn someone about the hooded man- to Starfleet Headquarters.

* * *

"Please, open the door!" Natalie cried, pounding her fist against the door that led into the conference room. This morning, Natalie would have never barged into Starfleet Headquarters, wouldn't have slapped the guard that tried to keep her from entering the premises, wouldn't have demanded entry into a meeting that was held for only the highest-ranking officers, and certainly wouldn't have the audacity to even think of doing such things. But here she was. The door slid open with a metallic buzz, and there before her stood Admiral Marcus his eyes glaring down into her wild eyes.

"Ms. Parker," he exclaimed clearly startled by the sight of the young woman before him, "where is your father? He was supposed to report here fifteen minutes ago."

"Admiral," Natalie started, her confidence disappearing under his critical eye "Captain Parker is at St. Elijah's. He was near Section 31 when the explosion went off."

"My God yes," Marcus sighed, remembering where her father worked, "I'm so sorry. However, I must ask why you are here Ms. Parker. We cannot help your father until we find the terrorist, you do know that."

"That's just the thing," she replied eagerly, "I think I may have information about the bombing that may be useful."

"Ms. Parker," the admiral said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "we have already identified the terrorist and do not need further assistance here. Now please...go home."

"Did you know he can jump off a balcony several stories high and run off unharmed?" she questioned, desperate to prove she could be helpful, even if she wasn't sure the man she saw was indeed the terrorist.

"That's irrelevant to our mission," Marcus sharply responded, in a tone that Natalie found to be almost defensive, "Go home, Ms. Parker." With that, the door slid closed, Natalie's hopeful face fading into a worried scowl. She decided then to return to her father, a man who needed her far more than Admiral Marcus at that moment. Running through the pristine corridors of Headquarters, her head spun with all that had happened that day. It was if a hurricane had swept through onto the shores of her life- and to think that just the day before she had been worrying over her silly nightmares! The pain in her side ached as she continued to run past blue-shirts and red-shirts and others in full uniform. Everything was moving so quickly, so damn quickly.

As she pressed her hot forehead against the cool glass of the shuttle's window that was bringing her back to St. Elijah's, Natalie didn't know that at that very moment a man named John Harrison was flying a gunship straight towards Starfleet Headquarters. As she mumbled silent prayers under her breath, guns were being fired into the very conference room she stood before only twenty-five minutes earlier. As she stepped off of her shuttle, her mind set on revenge against her father's terrorist, little did she know that John Harrison was stepping out of his crashed ship, his mind set on revenge against the entire human race.


	4. No Yellow Roses

A Science Strange and Lovely

A/N: So, I'm back. Sorry about the wait; I needed to make sure I knew where I was going with this. Hope you enjoy this latest installment! Also, see the authors note at the end of this chapter for more story info.

Natalie ironically despised hospitals; the smell of chemicals and wilting 'get-well' flowers made her cringe. She worked at Royal Children's despite it all because she had a way with younger patients, a soothing charm with children that never failed to dry tears or bring forth a laugh. Also, she wasn't very good at anything else:engineering was a nightmare and,despite her father's wishes, she was far from Starfleet material. Children were Natalie Parker's one specialty. However , St. Elijah's was no place for children, or for Natalie.

She sat by her father's bedside, listening to the rhythmic beeps of the biofunction monitor. As a nurse, she had learned the purpose each piece of medical equipment: the osteo-regenerator in the far left corner of the room was used to heal his broken leg and the cardiostimulator had been used on his failing heart. Although the technology was advanced and impressive by most standards, it wasn't perfect. Captain Parker had injured both his lungs and heart, along with suffering the pain of several severe burns and wounds across his body. He was a lost cause, thats what his nurses whispered behind thin curtains when they thought Natalie couldn't hear them. She could.

It was two days after the bombing and the morning after the attack on Headquarters. Natalie saw the story flash across a nearby news hologram in the guest's room of the hospital:_ a jumpship fired into a Starfleet Headquarters conference room manned by rogue officer John Harrison who is suspected of taking part in the bombing of the Kelvin Memorial Archive. He was opposed by officer James T. Kirk, who used a phaser rifle to take down Harrison's ship. In the process of this attack, Captain Abbott was killed by open fire. Harrison body was not found in the ship's wreckage and he has been officially declared a rogue terrorist. _

"John Harrison," Natalie whispered, taking a sip of the chamomille tea a nurse had given her, "such an ordinary name for such a horrible man." The name, for some reason, didn't fit in Natalie's mind. It felt like her tongue was always on the verge of addressing him as something else, another name always dancing on her lips. Sitting in the cool silence of the hospital room,Natalie gazed at her father and leaned over to brush a stiff shock of red hair from his cold forehead. No visitors came today to see him, no yellow roses were delivered to his bedside. But that was to be expected, Natalie thought leaning back in her chair.

Her father was a very reclusive man whose daily conversation consisted of duty orders and the occasional call to his daughter. His wife and her mother, he had told her, died shortly after she was born, so she could not be present in her husband's time of need. Natalie realized with a unnerving chill that if her father was to die at that very moment, only two people would be present at his funeral: herself and Admiral Marcus. Shaking the dark thoughts from her mind, she took another listless sip of her tea only to find its warmth had long gone and its flavor weakened.

At that same moment, a knock reverberated through the room, pulling Natalie out of her thoughts and onto her feet. With a faint curiosity, she pressed the small button that opened the door to the room. The nurses and doctors had automatic entry to any sick room, so the person behind the door had to be a visitor. There, dressed in a sleek black dress and a royal blue jacket, stood a young woman Natalie had never seen before.

"Hello, you must be Natalie Parker," she greeted holding out a slender hand, "I'm Carol Marcus." Natalie took the other woman's hand with a confused smile, stepping aside to let her into the room.

"I'm sorry about your father," Carol continued taking a seat across from Natalie and folding her hands in her lap, "my father has said nothing but great things about him."

"Your father?" Natalie questioned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion until they eased upon recognition, for Carol's eyes were the same sharp blue as her father's.

"Oh, I-I never knew the Admiral had a daughter!" she stammered, heat flooding to her cheeks.

Carol laughed lightly, pulling a platinum sheet of blonde hair behind her ear, "That's alright. Not many people do. My father's not exactly known for being a family man."

"Mine either," Natalie replied, casting a glance over Carol's shoulder to where her father lay motionless, "hence the lack of visitors."

"Although I'm very sorry about your father," Carol started, her voice adopting a more serious tone, "I actually came here to talk to you about a matter that might involve us both, Ms. Parker."

Again, Natalie was thrown into a wave of confusion, tilting her head slightly at Carol's statement.  
"Call me Natalie," she replied, "and I have to say I'm a bit confused, to be honest." As far as Natalie knew, the only thing they had in common was that their fathers both held a position in Starfleet.

Carol cleared her throat delicately and continued, "This morning I learned that Captain James Kirk will be leaving on his ship the Enterprise to go after John Harrison who they believe to be in Klingon territory. Now also on the ship, my father put seventy-two experimental photon torpedos. I want to do a little research on these weapons, but I know my father would never let me go. So, I'm going to appoint myself under the name Carol Wallace as an extra science officer 'sent' by Admiral Marcus."

Natalie listened to the woman's plan with a hightned interest at the mention of going after Harrison, leaning closer to the edge of her chair. Still, she was completely unaware of how any of this involved her.

"Why I'm here, you may be wondering," Carol started looking at Natalie directly, "is because I wanted to ask if you'd like to join me. I heard about how you stormed into Headquarters and asked my father for help on the day of the first attack, saying that you had some information on Harrison that might be useful. That was brave, Natalie, and I'm sorry my dad didn't hear what you had to say."

"Although this might sound self-serving, I wanted to bring someone with a motive or reason to be on that ship. You do. I know you want to catch Harrison almost as much as Kirk. Maybe I'm going through that rebel adolescent phase again at thirty years old, but I want to prove to my father that I'm not a child. But still, I'm uncomfortable with being alone on this."

Natalie sat back in her seat in shock. A woman she barely knew was asking her to sneak onboard a Starfleet ship to catch one of the most wanted men in the country. Her head spun with the prospect of her, a small insignificant nurse, doing something like that.

"Ms. M-Marcus," Natalie stammered, putting a hand to her head, "I'm not exactly made for Starfleet travels. I've never left this country, much less this planet. And how would I get on board? You have an alias and a reason to be there, I'm just a children's nurse with a grudge against the man who hurt my father."

"I've thought that out too, Natalie, if you come with me you'd register under the name Natalie Wallace as my cousin and a backup medical practicioner sent by the Admiral to help Dr. McCoy," Carol explained, leaning closer and in a secretive tone saying, "and from what I've heard, Captain Kirk is quite the ladies man. It won't be that hard to persuade him."

Natalie shook her head, sending curls flying about her pale face.

"But there problem there is that we look nothing alike, Carol, we couldn't pass as cousins" Natalie pointed out. It was true, although both women had blonde hair, they were near opposites in appearance. Carol's short sleek light blonde bob contrasted with Natalie's long unruly dark honey blonde ringlets. Her blue eyes sparkled in comparison to Natalie's soulful brown. Natalie's pale youthfully round face and rosy cheeks looked babyish in comparison to Carol's even lightly-tanned skin tone and well defined features.

"True, but that's only because you're so young," Carol reasoned with a gesture of her hand.  
"I'm twenty-four," Natalie responded with a sigh upon seeing the surprise on Carol's face. Why did everyone have to look so surprised? Natalie wished she had womanly curves and a face like Carol's, but she had the body of a teenage girl and stood at a diminutive 5'4.

"I still think it may work," Carol insisted standing to leave, "you don't have to give me an answer now, but I do have to know before they leave tomorrow morning. I hope your father gets well soon.

The women exchanged numbers and with that, Carol slipped out of the room and left Natalie alone to think on the peculiar and extraordinary offer he had just been given.

* * *

At 12:30 that night, Carol Marcus was awakened by the buzzing of her mobile, stumbling out of bed to grab at it in the dark. Rubbing her eyes with two manicured fingers, Carol read the message on screen with a faint tired smile:

_I'm in._

_-NP_

At that same time, Natalie Parker was unable to sleep, pacing about her room and shuffling through her drawers looking for things to pack. She fiddled with the small metal tag that hung on a chain around her neck, another one of her nervous habits. Her father had given it to her when she turned nineteen and she had worn it ever since. It was her mother's, he said, an old piece she received when she started her work as a applied physicist. It had numbers engraved into it in no pattern, like a barcode almost. On the other side, it had the initials K.S. Natalie always thought it was rather odd, for although her mother's maiden name was Scott, her first name was Catherine with a 'C' not a 'K'. Her father, when she inquired about, simply said it was a mistake in printing before disappearing into his bedroom and slamming his door.

Now she'd do anything just to hear her father's voice again, even though he said little to begin with. Natalie gazed out of her window and out into the night sky framed by London's skyscrapers. Tomorrow, if things went as they were supposed to, she'd be in the sky, amongst the stars and galaxies, fighting a battle that wasn't hers to fight but that she had every intention of winning.

A/N: Again, sorry for the wait, but as a 'I'm sorry' gift you can check out my profile page to find pictures of Natalie and her father along with a list of songs I think fit this story. Hope you stay tuned!


	5. With These Hands

A Science Strange and Lovely

**A/N:** If any of you are still reading, thank you. I'm so sorry for the delay. Writer's block had gotten the best of me. I hope you enjoy this much delayed installment.

It was on the foreign red terrain of a distant planet that a hooded man of Earth walked. His pace was hurried, yet strong enough as to not appear urgent or fearful. However,underneath the thick material that shaded his face, there lay two blue irises tinged with bitter anxiety.

John Harrison, as he was called, boldly made his way through Klingon territory stepping through rubble and ash with crushing speed. It was not the planet's formidable inhabitants who caused his jaw to clench, but instead the company he soon expected to have- a company that would be fully prepared to end his life without blinking. As his eyes scanned over the barren land of Kronos, Harrison was assured that this province was thankfully uninhabited.

Finally, he found what he had been searching for: a small metal alcove imbedded in a crumbling wall of rock. He ducked his head under its entrance, squeezing his broad shoulders into the narrow passage. The tiny dark space within was lit by a singular red beam that flickered across its ceiling and across its rusting walls. Harrison, after one last glance at the entrance, sunk to the ground slowly. He crouched against a wall, his knees pressed against his chest but his heels refusing to touch the ground.

Despite his previous displays of steely resolve, Harrison was tired, so tired. Running a hand over his burning eyes, his thoughts once clear and focused turned muddled and near-feverish. He thought of the ones lost, his comrades and friends, frozen and lifeless inside hidden cages. The walls from which he had been released still held the sleeping bodies of those equal to him, along with the one whose life he held more dear than his very own. Pulling back the sleeve of his longcoat, he ran his fingers over the pale blue silk ribbon knotted around his wrist. He thought of her then:

_How her small fingers trembled as she tied the obtrusive silk around his strong masculine hand! He remembered her hesitant smile as she met his eyes, leaning her head back slightly as he loomed above her._

_"A token of my undying devotion," she whispered dramatically, playfully pressing her smiling lips to his wrist. But he knew that, despite her teasing, this simple offering meant a great deal._

_"How sentimental," he sneered, glaring down at the top of her golden head, "and completely ludicrous". Her full lips formed a mock pout as she leaned her chin against his chest._

_"You can take it off as soon as we wake up, Captain," she stated, pressing her palm to his sculpted cheek. He refused to meet her gaze, instead his eyes burned into the delicate material around his hand._

_"I can take it off whenever I please," he insisted through gritted teeth, "such as now."_

_She simply laughed softly against the fabric of his shirt._

_"But you won't," she replied,affectionately running her thumb across his cheekbone. _

And he didn't, would not, and could not remove the silly girlish sentiment tied to his very hand. Even when he knew that he may never see its giver once more. Yanking his sleeve down once more, Harrison stood with a renewed vigor- a force which although smoldered had not been extinguished. He would find his crew, even if that meant killing every insignificant human who stood in his way.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Carol Marcus called over her shoulder to the young woman who trailed behind her as they approached the shuttlecraft that would carry them to the Enterprise. Natalie nodded, tugging at the high collar of the new black flight suit identical to Carol's. Sensing her distress, Carol turned back and put a hand on Natalie's shoulder.

"Don't worry, just follow my lead until you get comfortable," she instructed, guiding her companion onto the craft and lifting her chin with confidence. She stood behind Carol as they boarded the shuttle, biting her lower lip anxiously. What if it didn't work? What if they recognized her? It was too late now for just as she was about to voice her worries, Carol was walking towards the seats in which sat Captain Kirk and his crew. Natalie watched as a sheen of feminine charm lighted the other woman's eyes.

"Captain Kirk," she said, going over to stand by his seat with a smile, "Science Officer Wallace. I've been assigned to the Enterprise by Admiral Wallace along with my cousin Nurse. Natalie Wallace as a medical assistant to Dr. McCoy."

"These are our transfer orders," she explained, giving Kirk a tablet with the forged information. He simply gazed at her for a second or two, taking no notice of the small woman behind her.

"You requested an additional Science Officer, Captain?" questioned First Officer Spock, his angular brows tilted in mild confusion.

"I wish I had," Kirk responded, fully under Carol's spell.

"Dr. McCoy, did you need further assistance in your field as well?" Spock asked, his dark eyes falling on Natalie whose breath hitched in response. She gave Dr. McCoy the sweetest smile she could manage, trying to play up her youthful features knowing she did not possess Carol's womanly wiles. The doctor gave her a wide grin in response, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, why not?" he said, his eyes sliding over to Carol. Natalie bit back a sigh of relief.

"Lieutenant Carol Wallace," Kirk read aloud from the tablet, "doctorate in applied physics, specializing in advanced weaponry. Dr. Natalie Wallace, doctorate in pediatric and emergency room nursing, specializing in anesthesiology."

Natalie felt a faint swell of pride hearing her credentials read and knowing they were not in the least bit forged. Although she was quite young, she flew through her medical training with ease, passing others her age by quickly and earning her degree at the premature age of twenty-four.

"Impressive credentials," Spock noted, but his eyes were fixed only on Carol.

"Thank you," she responded, her smile still fresh.

"But redundant now that I'm back aboard the Enterprise," he insisted, his monotonous cadence seemingly irritated. With a repressed smile, Natalie realized that even Vulcans can have their pride wounded.

"Yet the more the merrier," Kirk said cheerfully, giving his comrade a warning glance before turning back to Carol, "take a seat Doctor."

As Carol took her place between the two crewmembers, Natalie shifted awkwardly where she stood. Thankfully, Dr. McCoy gave her a nod to take the seat next to his.

Natalie leaned back in her neat and shut her eyes tightly as the shuttle began to hum loudly, it's engine starting and gaining power.

"You look a little sick there, Nurse Wallace," McCoy said, eyeing Natalie with concern.

"I just really, really don't like flying," she explained,a wave of nausea rolling in her stomach.

"I thought I was the only one!" McCoy exclaimed, giving her a warm smile that eased the tumultuous feeling rising in her throat. As he continued to tell her a long story of his once-terrible aviophobia, Natalie began to relax, the sound of his animated voice blocking out the constant whirring of the shuttlecraft. Maybe, just maybe she thought,this all might work out in the end.

* * *

Natalie was relieved to finally be brought to the crew quarters which she and Carol would share. There, her bags were already placed next to her bunk. She kneeled next to one and withdrew her light blue uniform, running her hands over the smooth fabric. It would be a tight fit as usual, but at least it was her favorite color. Carol, near her bunk did the same.

"You can go first," Natalie offered, motioning towards the central bathroom of their quarters. Carol gave her new friend a smile before going to change, throwing her uniform dress over her shoulder. While she was changing, Natalie unpacked the few belongings she'd brought: her tablet, her hairbrush, her short brown leather jacket, and bag of toiletries. However, as her hand ran across the bottom of her bag feeling only the worn fabric under her fingertips, Natalie realized there was one thing she forgot.

"My medicine," she whispered, placing a hand to her pounding head, "damn, there goes any hope of sleeping." A shiver coursed down her shoulders as she thought of having to dream of ice and strange voices again.

"You okay, Natalie?" Carol called peeking from the bathroom door

"Yeah, just forgot something at home," Natalie responded, grabbing her uniform and scooting past Carol and into the small bathroom. As she stepped out of her jumpsuit, Natalie wondered if the dreams would ever stop on their own accord and why she had them in the first place. Her infuriating therapist certainly gave no answers. Pulling her new uniform dress over her head, Natalie took in her appearance in the mirror she faced.

She looked different somehow, standing their in a Starfleet uniform, her unruly hair tamed into a thick french braid down her back, and her eyes a little less soft- a little more resolute. Splashing cool water onto her hot face, Natalie felt her anxieties settle instead to be replaced with a firmness empowered by the thought of her father's pain and the man who caused it.

"I can handle my dreams," she told her reflection, lifting her rounded chin, "I can handle being on a spacecraft."

"And I will handle John Harrison."

The strength in her voice was unwavering and new to her usually meek countenance, however her true feelings were betrayed by the constant shaking of her small pale hands.

* * *

A/N: Thanks again for sticking with me. There are a few questions you may or may not be wondering and I just wanted to address them.

1. Why didn't Khan recognize "Natalie" when he saw her at the hospital?

He didn't actually turn around to face her and made a point of not doing so. He didn't consider her worthy of his attention.

2. Didn't he recognize her voice?

That will be addressed later ;)

3. When will they actually meet already?

Good things come to those who wait.


	6. The Distance Between

A Science Strange and Lovely

A/N: Since this is AU, time has been extended in comparison to the film as to let Natalie interact with her fellow crew members and further develop her story. I hope you don't mind.

*The original dialogue has been changed, as I can't find a script or video clip of certain scenes*

Now it is important to note that Natalie Parker was not a nosy sort of woman, however when such a situation presented itself, she was incapable of turning her ear away from a flow of delicious intrigue.

As soon as the she and Carol left their quarters in their matching uniforms, the latter had insisted upon getting a look at the lower engineering deck. Natalie could only stand and stare as the blonde analyzed every gear and gadget, speaking animatedly to fellow officers. As she gazed around the bustling deck, Natalie realized that she could only name about two of the many devices humming and whirring a symphony of white noise.

Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, she began to feel quite out of place amongst the machines and their sharp-minded engineers. Just as she was going to look for Carol, she heard two voices rise above the din.

Peering around the corner of the wall against which she leaned, she saw Captain Kirk standing beside a shorter man in a red uniform. Kirk's blue eyes were narrowed and his stance tense while the other man seemed flustered, his brows furrowing. Natalie couldn't make out what the two were saying amongst the many noises on the deck, but they were obviously at odds about some matter. Craning her neck a few inches more and turning her eager ear, she could make out the words "photon torpedoes" and "Section 31". Remembering that Carol was insistent on finding out more about the weapons, Natalie took several steps forward as to hear more.

"They didn't tell me what the bloody thing were fueled by, Jim. We can't possibly risk firing unknown weapons around warp core. It could blow us all up for God's sake! Do you realize that?" * the shorter man exclaimed, heat rising to his round face. Kirk seemed unshaken by the man's pleading, Natalie noted, his jaw set stubbornly and his arms crossed against his chest. Natalie knew that face well. It was the same face she adopted when a volunteer at the hospital tried to give her orders.

"Scotty, you need to load the torpedoes," Kirk insisted, his eyes flaring with the light of his personal vendetta against Harrison. Natalie knew that look as well. The other man, Scotty, looked conflicted glancing at Kirk and running a hand through his thin hair.

"If you are going to use them," he started hesitantly, "then I'm leaving."

The Captain seemed on the verge of a doubtful laugh, his white teeth flashing a grin, until he saw the grave look upon his companion's face.

"Well, I guess this is it then," he muttered, looking as if a blow had struck him at the center of his proud chest.

"I quit, here's my resignation" Scotty exclaimed, handing Kirk his tablet "and Keenser is coming with me." The small alien engineer next to Scotty simply stared at his friend with little beady black eyes before giving Kirk a nod. The pair then turned their backs on their Captain, but before Scotty could round the corner he stopped and turned back.

"For the love of God, don't use those torpedoes." he pleaded one last time before leaving the deck and its Captain. Kirk stood alone now, rubbing his face with both hands. Natalie thought that now would be the best time to make her exit, shifting back against the wall.

She began walking down the passage that led to her living quarters, her mind still processing what she had heard. Why didn't the engineer want to use the torpedoes? What did Section 31 have to do with anything? Why didn't Kirk listen when he learned that whatever he was going to do was going to put the crew's lives at stake? She needed to find Carol and soon.

"Nurse Wallace!" a voice called, shaking Natalie from her thoughts. She turned her head over her shoulder to see Dr. McCoy walking toward her and felt relieved to see someone with whom she was relatively acquainted.

"Hello Doctor," she greeted with a smile that he warmly returned, "we should be taking off soon, right?"

"Shortly, I suppose," he agreed walking next to her, "I wanted to show you the Med Bay, if you have time." Her eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing the Enterprise's medical center, getting to look at all the new equipment and hearing more of the doctor's stories.

"That's what I'm here for Doctor," she responded brightly, pulling her braid over her shoulder. He grinned in response, putting a hand on her back and leading her down another passage. It was like a labyrinth, Natalie mused, trying to make footnotes in her mind of all the points they passed, but gave up on the fifth turn.

"I've never been in a spacecraft, you know," she confessed, tugging on the blonde strands near her shoulder.

"I can tell," said McCoy with a chuckle, "good thing a map of the ship was sent to all new crew members' tablets." Natalie nodded, for as they navigated the decks she wondered how she'd find her quarters again, or anywhere for that matter.

"How does being in a Starfleet uniform feel though, Nurse Wallace?" he questioned impishly, eyeing her slim form next to she wasn't as stunning as her cousin, he thought, the girl was rather pretty in her own way.

"To be honest, Doctor, it's not too comfortable," she replied tugging at the hem of her short dress completely oblivious to his mild flirtations, "but I'm happy to be onboard."

They made on last turn before approaching the entrance to the sick bay, the faint smell of sterilization and medicines wafting through the halls.

"It gets old after awhile" he replied a bit cantankerously, "but I suppose it has it's charms. Commander Spock not being one of them. How is your cousin doing?"

"My cousin? Oh r-right, Carol," Natalie stammered, momentarily forgetting her cover, "she's fine, a little excited when she saw your engineering deck. I think she's more experienced with all this stuff than I am."

The doctor led her into the sickbay, two glass doors sliding open to reveal a large center with a line of patient beds, a well-stocked lab, and a control unit. It looked a lot like St. Elijah's, only as part of a spacecraft. Natalie ran her fingers across a shelf of different liquids stored in pristine glass containers. She could name most of them, the bright red ones and the milky blue ones alike, but there were some that she didn't recognize even after seven years of schooling.

"Ah, you've found the vials," Dr. McCoy asserted, leaning over the woman's shoulder to tap a tube of pale gold liquid, "do you know what that one is?"

Natalie wracked her brain trying to remember if she'd seen in before during one of her classes or at Royal Children's, but she was certain she'd never seen it before.

"I guess I fail my first test Doctor," she said shaking her heat, her white cheeks becoming flushed with embarrassment, "I have no clue."

"That's alright, Nurse Wallace,I should have started with an easier one" the doctor replied gently, removing the vial from its case, "you haven't done field-work or government business, so you wouldn't recognize this stuff. It's called desegrinine, a Cardassian drug used to reverse memory-loss. Powerful stuff, works in under an hour. Let's try another one."

Natalie added the new drug to her mental catalog of medicines, before continuing with the doctor's test. Next he pointed to a clear liquid with a bluish tint. Natalie recognized it immediately.

"That's Trianoline, Doctor, used to heal percussive injuries. Way too easy," she answered playfully, crossing her arms and staring up at him with raised brows.

"Okay, okay," he replied holding out his hands in mock-defense, "too easy, huh? Let's go to the lab then. We can compare testing skills. You might not be smiling for long."

"I'll always be smiling, Dr. McCoy," Natalie responded with a grin,following the man into the lab with a confident sway of her hips. Testing was one of her specialties, known performing complete research projects in a single work day. Half-an-hour passed like this, with casual competition and light teasing, until Natalie remembered she had to speak to Carol.

"I have to go, Doctor, Carol's probably looking for me," she explained, taking her gloves off and pushing her thick braid back over her shoulder.

"Do you know how to get back?" he asked, leading her out of the lab. She gave him a tentative smile that translated as 'I'm completely lost here', wringing her hands at her waist.

"Come on then," Dr. McCoy said with a sigh, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her out of the medbay and down the winding halls once again.

* * *

"Natalie! Where have you been?" Carol exclaimed, pacing across the engineering deck with a hand on her hip. Natalie watched as Dr. McCoy's eyes drifted down to Carol's long legs, before giving him a discreet nudge in the ribs with her elbow.

"Er, with me," he answered, his eyes still glued to Carol's skirt,"I was showing her the sickbay. You know where to go from here, Nurse Wallace?"

Natalie sighed with a faint laugh shaking her head, "I'm fine, Doctor, see you later." As he walked off, she saw him cast one more look over his shoulder at her blonde friend before disappearing into a elevator.

"Making friends?" Carol asked, raising one gold brow. Natalie just smiled in response.

"Well, I haven't," she continued, walking back to their quarters, "we need to talk." Natalie nodded, remembering the discussion she had overheard that morning. The women walked in silence until they reached their room, Natalie struggling to match Carol's quick pace. Once Natalie had shut the door, the other woman let out a frustrated groan, dropping down onto her bunk.

"He knows," she muttered, glancing up at Natalie with her bright blue eyes, "Officer Spock. He just found me in engineering and knows everything, my name, your name, everything. Except for why we're here. I'm not sure if he'll tell Captain Kirk. I practically begged him not to. Not like that matters." She buried her face into her pillow and let out another sigh.

"Well, it's not like they have the time to send us back now," Natalie reasoned, perching on the side of her bunk and crossing her ankles, "They already went into warp drive about an hour ago. We've come so far."

Carol emerged from her blankets and pillows, leaning back against the headboard.

"I guess you're right, we'll just have to lay low for a while. I didn't get that great a look on the torpedoes before Spock stopped me. There's something off about them though. I can't place it, but their not your everyday missiles."

"Oh, that's what I needed to tell you!" Natalie exclaimed, "I overheard Captain Kirk talking to some engineer about the torpedoes. The man said that they could be-"

Suddenly the ship lurched with a strong velocity, causing both women to fall unto the floor as a deafening clamor overcame the ship. Then all was still as the ship let out a final soft groan. Natalie lifted her head from the ground, struggling to sit upright. She raised a hand to her forehead, feeling the tender skin there that was soon to bruise.

"Was that supposed to happen?" she asked with a hiss of pain, easing herself into an upright position.

"I seriously doubt it," Carol responded, yanking off her black boots and rubbing her ankles, "we've fallen out of warp."

"I'm going to see what happened," Natalie suggested, walking out of the room and putting her hands to her ears as the sirens screamed. Amongst the crowd of engineers swarming the main deck, she saw a familiar head of neatly combed brown hair making his way to the main command deck.

"Doctor!" she yelled, running to catch his arm, "Doctor, what happened?" He turned to face her anxiously peering over her shoulder to where the engineers bustled about, and at a young man with curly hair pulling levers and frantically pushing buttons on a large console.

"Chekov said it has something to do with a coolant leak," he explained, motioning toward the young man, "we're still twenty minutes away from Kronos."

"What are we going to do then?" she asked, looking anxiously into the man's eyes and clutching his arm.

"We, Nurse Wallace, aren't going to do anything. The Captain, Spock, and Lieutenant Uhura are going to Kronos on a confiscated trading ship. We just have to sit pretty. He left Sulu in charge which I just don't get, and I'm doing absolutely nothing," the doctor concluded his tirade with a sigh, his jaw set in agitation.

"Have they left yet?" Natalie questioned, pulling a curl behind her ear.

"They're boarding now."

"We could go with them," she suggested, biting her lip and lowering her eyes so that he wouldn't see the eager hope that glowed beneath the fringe of her lashes. Dr. McCoy simply scoffed, giving her a patronizing smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Because that would make so much sense. The three most important people on the crew go along with a teenage nurse that doesn't even know how to get back to her own quarters!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with bitter sarcasm. Natalie bit back a heated retort, realizing that it was the doctor's own irritability which caused him to lash out at others. The doctor sighed, glancing down at the young woman he barely knew waiting for her to give him a list of reasons why she should be taken seriously and why he was a jerk. She surprising didn't and he liked her all the more for it.

"Look," he started, contemplating whether he should make the offer, "do you want to see the main deck? You'll see where everything happens on board the Enterprise and get a look at Kronos. It might make you feel one step closer to catching Harrison."

"I'd like that very much, thank you," Natalie responded, letting the doctor guide her into an elevator. One step closer was all she needed.

* * *

John Harrison did not plan on sleeping that evening, then again, he rarely did. He was a man who fought the occasional urge to rest his mind with a tenacity unseen in many others. There was a vengeful crew out for his blood, he was the only one of his kind awake, and he couldn't stop staring at the stupid fraying ribbon round his wrist. As you can see, his condition was not one that promised a good night's rest. Against all odds however, his eyelids fell as his head leaned back against a pillar of stone. It was then, only then, that she came to him once more.

_"You have a funny face, do you know that?" she asked in her native tongue, tilting her head like she often did, biting that full lower lip he longed to catch with his. Instead he refused to meet her curious doe eyes, instead staring into the warm hearth that crackled and hissed before his eyes. He chose not to notice how the fire illuminated her white collarbone and slender neck, turning the skin near gold and shimmering. _

_"As do you," he responded , his deep baritone holding the same richness as the dark mocha cocoa in her hands. It wasn't a bluff either. The girl had a face that was too soft, eyes that were too large, and a nose that was too rounded. _

_"It isn't handsome face," she mused this time in English, leaving her large plush armchair to sit at his feet, "but I quite like you."_

_"Nor is your's pretty," he retorted, his eyes still locked on the flames that licked the withering logs and danced above the embers._

_"But do you like me?" The girl softly asked with a tender smile, giving him a cautious glance before leaning her forehead against his leg right below his knee. His eyes widened under the shadow of the fire, his hand hovering just above the honey curls of her head. Just as his fingertips were about to graze the fine tendrils at the crown of her head, his hand dropped and he pushed her aside. _

_He hadn't said anything that night. Oh, how he wished he did. _

A/N: Thank you for sticking with me despite my irregular updates. I know this was probably a boring filler chapter for you, but it was needed. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!


	7. AN: I'm Back!

To my readers,

After my long hiatus away at a philosophy workshop, I am pleased to announce that I am back! I am currently working on the next chapter of ASSL, and I simply wanted to inform you that I was in fact alive and have every intention of completing this project. Stay tuned for more moments including an answer to that one big question: Who is Natalie Parker? If you have a guess or theory, drop off a review or PM and I'll tell you if you've nailed it. Until then, don't forget me!

Back in Business,

Indie L.

P.S. Just as a little sneak peek, I can tell you that I'm working on a spin-off story entitled An Odyssey Extraordinary with as its focus. I will delete this A/N after a week as to not upset any moderators as it is not an official chapter.


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